Someone may be willing to make you some, but they'd be hard to make and would have connection problems.

Soldering diodes isn't hard, but it takes a lot of practice. Get old IR diodes, and solder them until you get the hang of it. Remember, the solder and hot iron must not touch the diode for longer than one second. Leave at least 30 seconds between soldering each pin to be safe.

Hope this helps,

EDIT: Pontiacg5 beat me to it. They do exist.

They do exist, but it is best to solder them if possible. A diode disconnecting then reconnecting while lasing can kill it.

They do exist such as the one Pontiac just posted but here is the thing i would buy from thorlabs but they dont except paypal and im only 14yo and i do not have a credit card if you guys can get them ill pay you via paypal just name a reasonable price.

They do exist, but it is best to solder them if possible. A diode disconnecting then reconnecting while lasing can kill it.

If I remember correctly, it kills it due to the circuit driver most likely using a capacitor at the diode's end, correct - not due to quick disconnect and reconnect of the diode's insides, right? I only mention the difference because, I personally have a few host which use 3x LR44/AG13 batteries and have a 2-pin socket end where the LED was. I replace the LED with a red laser diode and direct drive it (which is safe since the batteries can't supply enough current to burn out the diode) and thus I build myself cheap burning laser keychains at a very low cost.

Edit: truly though, it would be best you learn how to solder. It is a very helpful tool, and I learned it probably just a bit younger than you, also working with lasers. I broke diodes as well due to my bad soldering skills, but you practice and practice and you'll get better. Read up, there are lots of tutorials online about soldering. There are videos as well as detailed descriptions and pictures - take a look at instructables.com. If you wish to continue the laser hobby, you will need to have soldering skills.

If I remember correctly, it kills it due to the circuit driver most likely using a capacitor at the diode's end, correct - not due to quick disconnect and reconnect of the diode's insides, right? I only mention the difference because, I personally have a few host which use 3x LR44/AG13 batteries and have a 2-pin socket end where the LED was. I replace the LED with a red laser diode and direct drive it (which is safe since the batteries can't supply enough current to burn out the diode) and thus I build myself cheap burning laser keychains at a very low cost.

Yeah, thats what kills them. You need an output capacitor on any laser driver and that cap will charge up in that second its disconnected and the second it reconnects it will overload the diode and kill it.

You might be able to find a third party to help you buy them, but I suggest just asking your parents for help. Either that or get a prepaid credit card from a walgreens or something and use that.

I've tried some sockets from Roithner and they are not a great solution for a number of reasons. First, they do disconnect with slight movement; second, the pins can be pushed into the teflon body exacerbating the disconnection problem as the contact is minimal and; third, and most importantly, the diodes we use are more often than not harvested and the legs are not long enough to make an adequate contact even if the first two problems were not there. I've installed a diode in one and watched as it slowly popped out of it's own accord due to this. 445nm diodes have much longer legs though.

There's no short cut in my opinion to getting the soldering right and Daguin's step-by-step above is the way to go. You'll be glad you did.

Happy soldering.

M

__________________Do you want to build a laser?But, you know nothing about what is needed, right? Then you need to try the, "I Want to Build a Laser", thread! Everything you wanted to know to get started and more! An easy guide as to what you need and why!

Another good guide can be found here from goninanbl00d - "First Build Guide"(Temporarily Unavailable)